Selling a Car

[inquisition]

Is e-Bay the best medium for selling a second hand car and what does it cost, any one have any personal experience or information.

Thank you

[tonyav]

I prefer Auto Trader myself.

[TWR]

Not sure of the cost but make sure you give the right description & if any defects as you will get done, Do not let the buyer try the car unless he / she has insurance / license, do not let them go on their own for a run, do not let the car go until funds has been inserted into your account. check out ALL THE DEFECTS ON YOUR CAR before the Buyer comes, you might have the fly boys saying this is marked / scratched ( Seen it like many others on here) depending on the car / year, be very careful what you say regards a warranty & put this in written and signed by the buyer to protect yourself.

[hc4361]

A private seller will not be giving any sort of warranty. A private seller does not need to list any defects but does have to be truthful in the description.

I have sold several cars via eBay without problem. I only accept cash and the buyer has to accompany me to the bank to pay the money in - that way I know it is not fake.

Here are the current fees:
http://pages.ebay.co....p/sell/motorfees.html

[TWR]

I would not bank on the latter part of this Hc, especialy with T.S.

[hc4361]

Trading standards has nothing to do with private sellers.

[TWR]

If you sell any cars either Ebay or private & not disclose defects Hc, T.S can be informed and action could be taken against the sell.

[erin-x]

I bought my car from AutoTrader and it's very easy to from that point. I would think it's just as user friendly for the seller.

[TWR]

To add, Trading Standards, Secondhand cars will always have SOME faults, but they should not be excessive.

If you have bought a used car or a motorbike or van from a motor trader, it must be .

Of satifactory Quality.


Fit for its purpose.

As decribed, tis means the car MUST be,

Fir to be used on the road,

In condition that reflects its age & price,

reasonably reliable.

[hc4361]

Nonsense, TWR. That assumes that all car owners have a knowledge of maintenance and the workings of the vehicle.

I would love you to provide a link.

[TWR]

If this information is wrong, then the information package I have from 2012 is incorrect??

[hc4361]

Exactly my point - your link states - from a MOTOR TRADER.

[TWR]

I did not state knowlege of maintainence, what I am saying, if the car has a fault you should disclose it. Using oil, miss fire etc.

[TWR]

We may differ on this HC, but i definitely know what avenue I would take, Trader or Private.

[hc4361]

You've changed the topic, TWR.
I haven't stated a preference for either. You pay more from a trader because the car has to be fit for purpose and usually comes with some sort of warranty, plus they have to make a profit.

A private seller need not worry about warranty or fit for the purpose, unless described as such.

[TWR]

We will let this post be looked upon by the vast amount of persons out there & let (if) anyone has been in this predicament1 I've know a few from our own town.

[hc4361]

You know a private seller that's been prosecuted by TS?

[TWR]

In fact a few!

[TWR]

So are you saying, one of your cars had a BAD fault rather then disclose it you would say nothing about it?

[Andyvon]

My neighbour knows nothing about cars but he's bought four cars off eBay now and each one's been a heap of trouble. The MGF had a blown head gasket, an Accent kept jumping out of top gear, the Citroen C4 had a DPF and ECU fault. Each car has cost him a fortune.

I keep telling him to buy a car from a dealer so that he has some legal cover. However, each time he tells me how well he's done and how cheap the car was compared to average - then within days he's finding the faults and asking me to sort things out as he can't afford repairs!

Buying cars from eBay is fine if you know what you are looking at. Almost all second-hand cars have some faults but it seems to me that many cars sold on eBay are those with quite serious faults that people just want to get rid of quickly and easily. My neighbour was told by one seller that the MGF was fine when he sold it and he hasn't bothered since then as all the sellers can say the same. Also, who would bother taking a stranger living in Liverpool to small claims court when he lives in London?

If you know what you are looking at then you could buy a good car from eBay Inquisition. If you aren't sure then you are in a minefield with a very real chance of buying a 'bad'un'.

[hc4361]

TWR, you are being obtuse.

I will try to state it very clearly.
The OP wants to sell a car on eBay and needs information. You gave bad information because you were referring to professional motor traders and not private sellers.

A private seller can list a car as 'X reg Ford KA' and say nothing more about it. It is 'caveat emptor' - buyer beware.
A private seller can list a car as 'X reg Ford KA, sold as seen'.
If the seller chooses to describe the colour or the mileage, it must be truthful, as far as the seller knows.
A private seller can even say the car is 'a good runner' if that is what they believe it to be. If it has near bald tyres and knackered suspension the seller need say nothing about it. If asked the seller can legitimately say 'it passed the MOT 11 months ago, other than that I haven't looked, checked or noticed anything (if that is the truth).

The only recourse for a private buyer is the small claims' court. Then the buyer would have to prove that he was told, or had in writing, that the seller stated the tyres were new and the suspension recently replaced (or whatever the problem is). Trading Standards do not deal with private sellers, only traders.

You are muddying the waters. The OP merely wants to know if selling a car on eBay is easy and how much it costs.